Specks and Sploches

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your eye?” ~Matt. 7:3

Nick,

As I’ve written in times past, our nation, and in fact our whole world is in dire need of Christian leaders. As men, we are commanded to become those leaders. One of the most uncommon, yet most necessary characteristics to be found in a leader is the ability to admit his own weaknesses. A leader is just that: a leader. He should always be the first to admit that he was wrong and also the first to forgive. He is to take the initiative in all situations. Why is it important for a leader to admit his faults? 1) So that he might remain humble. 2) So that he can more easily correct the faults of others. I’m sure we all can give examples of times when we got frustrated, not because someone is trying to correct a fault, but because they are unwilling to admit their own part in the argument. Before we tackle any situation, we first need to acknowledge our inability to solve the problem by ourselves, and then we need to pray to the Lord, asking Him to give us His strength and wisdom. The founding fathers, while penning the Constitution, prayed to the Lord before they did any work whatsoever. Why is this so remarkable? In part because it is the complete opposite of what would happen if a similar project was undertaken today. It is also remarkable, and inspiring, that these men, some of the wisest in the world at that time, still recognized their own weaknesses and inability to lead without the Lord’s help.

I want to bring up one last topic. One other requirement of a godly leader is that he able to lead his family in worship and that he is able to explain why they, as a family, believe what they believe. One of my goals for 2011 is to write position papers on all major doctrines, such as baptism, communion, predestination, etc. I encourage all of you to write your own papers, whether as part of your morning devotions or as a summer project. When we all have finished them we can meet and discuss them. These papers, besides requiring you to do a lot of research, will be useful to you later in life. When you forget the reason why we baptize infants or why we baptize with sprinkling and immersion, you can look at these papers and remind yourself of the evidence of Scripture. As you continue through the coming weeks and the rest of this year, may the Lord bless you labors and may He give you bountiful harvests in mind, body, and spirit. May you never cease to worship and fear and praise our great Redeemer.

Your brother in Christ,

Corey

Trust in the Lord's strength, and His alone

Dear Corey,

“No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by the strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.” ~Ps. 33:16-17

Our strength is not in any material thing. Not armies, not in strength, not in knowledge, not in anything except the Lord. We cannot trust in ourselves. We can trust in God; He is our only hope of salvation. Our sins are forgiven and we are saved by the grace of God.

“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” ~Ps. 33:20

Just remember, our strength is not in any possession that we own. It is only in God.

Your BIC,

Nick

'What do these stones mean to you?'

“When your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” ~Joshua 4:6-7

Nick,

We’ve all been told before to evaluate whether our arguments will matter 20 years from now. I think that we should not only apply this to arguments, but to everyday life. Also, I think that we should look forward several generations, not just 20 years. The Israelites did a much better job of giving importance to this by remembering genealogies. They remembered back several generations and probably thought about how their descendants would think of them. Our modern world, and particularly America, has the thought of, “Let’s get out of the house so we can do whatever we want.” What the Bible tells us to do, however, is to think ahead; to think of what will happen to our great- great- great- great grandchildren as a result of the choices we make right now. Look at the last section of the final sentence above: “…these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” It does not say, “Tell your children about what these stones mean, so that they know.” It instead says, “Tell your children, so that they cam tell their children and they can tell their children and they cam tell their children and so on forever, so that these works will always be known.” The ultimate purpose of your works being remembered is to show the future generations God’s continuing acts of providence and mercy in your life. Think about how you have been influenced by your ancestors. My great-grandpa was a woodworker and that has inspired me to be one too. My grandpa is a retired surveyor and it was in part because of my trips with him that I want to be an engineer. My dad knows the answer to almost any question and that gas caused me to want to learn as much as possible. Yet be vigilant with what you do, for this is a great blessing, but also a great responsibility. Immerse yourself in the Word, prayer and singing praise to the Lord. The Bible gives examples of our ancestors by whom we are to be encouraged, edified, and cautioned. Biographies tell stories of men and women of faith who by their legacy, shared the Gospel with many. May you also be one of those men who are an inspiration to other believers; teach others by your character and faith. May your children forever rise up and call you blessed!

Your brother in Christ,

Corey

Trust in the Lord

Dear Corey,

This week when I was reading my Bible, I came across this verse, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5) Sometimes we can believe in God, but still trust ourselves to be able to do the job. Whatever comes we need to trust in the Lord and not in ourselves. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself thinking, “I can do this.” (Note the “I”) But then later I will realize that I had the wrong attitude. We need to not lean on our own understanding, but realize that even what we know is from God.

Your brother in Christ,

Nicholas